Collapsible shelter

ABSTRACT

A collapsible, tubular shelter adjustable between a stretched or extended form in which it can accommodate a sleeping hiker on level ground and a compressed or contracted form in which it can be easily carried on the hiker&#39;&#39;s back. The shelter is formed from a tubular cover of lightweight, weatherproof nylon tenting reinforced by axially spaced hoops of flat spring steel strip which serve as ribs for holding the shelter in its tubular shape. The cover is permanently enclosed at one end and has zippered opening flaps at the other end to permit entry to and exit from the shelter. The shelter is stretched apart axially for use and is tied to a ground-anchored peg at each end by means of a line affixed to the top of the nearest hoop so that the two lines exert stretching force on the cover to hold it in its tubular shape. The lines also pull downwardly on the shelter to flatten it somewhat so that it can more readily accommodate a sleeping bag, the hoops being sufficiently resilient to permit this. The pitched shelter can be easily converted to its compressed form for carrying by disconnecting the lines from the anchored pegs and pushing the hoops together to collapse the cover, in accordion-like fashion, into a relatively flat, lightweight bundle.

Unite States Patent [1 1 Schroeder Dec. 30, 1975 [54] COLLAPSIBLESHELTER [76] Inventor: Allen J. Schroeder, 1001 E. 12th St.,

Beaumont, Calif. 92223 [22] Filed: Feb. 14, 1975 [21] Appl. No.: 550,141

[52] US. Cl 135/1 R; 5/113; 5/128; 5/343; 135/3 R [51] Int. Cl. A45F1/16; E048 U347 [58] Field of Search 5/113, 128, 343; 135/DIG.1, 5 B, 1R, 3 R

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,284,900 6/1942 Hendersonet a1... 5 343 3,198,200 8/1965 Sanders 52/2 3,240,217 3/1966 Bird etal. 135/3 R 3,800,468 4/1974 de Graff t 135/3 R 3,800,814 4/1974l-Iibbert 135/1 R FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,249,978 10/1971United Kingdom 135/1 R Primary ExaminerWerner l-I. Schroeder AssistantExaminer-Conrad L. Berman Attorney, Agent, or Firm-John H. Crowe [57]ABSTRACT A collapsible, tubular shelter adjustable between a stretchedor extended form in which it can accommodate a sleeping hiker on levelground and a compressed or contracted form in which it can be easilycarried on the hikers back. The shelter is formed from a tubular coverof lightweight, weatherproof nylon tenting reinforced by axially spacedhoops of flat spring steel strip which serve as ribs for holding theshelter in its tubular shape. The cover is permanently enclosed at oneend and has zippered opening flaps at the other end to permit entry toand exit from the shelter. The shelter is stretched apart axially foruse and is tied to a ground-anchored peg at each end by means of a lineaffixed to the top of the nearest hoop so that the two lines exertstretching force on the cover to hold it in its tubular shape. The linesalso pull downwardly on the shelter to flatten it somewhat so that itcan more readily accommodate a sleeping bag, the hoops beingsufficiently resilient to permit this. The pitched shelter can be easilyconverted to its compressed form for carrying by disconnecting the linesfrom the anchored pegs and pushing the hoops together to collapse thecover, in accordion-like fashion, into a relatively flat, lightweightbundle.

10 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 FIG. 1.

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FIG 8.

COLLAPSIBLE SHELTER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relatesgenerally to a portable shelter adapted primarily for use by backpackersor other hikers, and more particularly to such a shelter which can bequickly and easily converted back and forth between a pitched positionfor use at a campsite and a collapsed condition in which it forms acompact, lightweight bundle for carrying.

Numerous types of tent shelters for use by campers, hikers, hunters,etc., have been heretofore proposed. Most of these have included variousparts that require unpacking and assembly for use, sometimes with a fairamount of difficulty, at campsites, and which must, after such use, bedisassembled and packed for movement or storage. Moreover, the parts ofsuch tents have often been of such character that they do not lendthemselves to compact consolidation into a conveniently lightweightbundle or package for easy carrying by a backpacker, particularly inrough country where steep slopes, rocks, heavy underbrush, and similarobstacles are encountered.

I am aware of US. Pat. No. 2,792,844 to Clark, which discloses acollapsible tent comprising a coil spring frame around which is secured,as by sewing, a cover of water resistant material such as lightweightcanvas. The spring is normally extended and has coils of progressivelysmaller size from front to rear. The extended coil spring frame isshaped and sized primarily to receive a single camper in sleepingposition with a sleeping bag or suitable bedding for warmth andprotection. The Clark tent is compacted for carrying by compressing itsspring frame and drawing a rope or strap around the contracted unit tohold the compressed spring against expansion.

While the Clark tent has advantages over more conventional tents incertain respects, it also possesses some inherent disadvantages. For onething, its coil spring frame makes the tent somewhat difficult tocompress, especially by the average woman or child. Also, the potentialenergy in the compressed spring frame of the contracted tent representsa hazard which could lead to accident and injury, or at the very least,to spilled or scattered camping gear which would have to be recoveredand repacked. Some of this gear might even be lost by such an accident,particularly if it occurred in mountainous terrain, or require cleaningbefore repacking. Finally, continued usage of the tent over a prolongedperiod of time would result in repeated compression and relaxation ofits spring frame which would tend to weaken the frame, and, in time,even destroy its effectiveness. Conversely, long term storage of thetent, particularly in its compressed form, might, at least in somecases, have a deforming or a distorting effect on its spring frame, afact of important significance to those persons who do not have occasionto use their tents very often and must store them in compressed form, toconserve space, between periods of use. Thus, the Clark tent isinherently self-deteriorative, an unavoidable result of the limited lifeof springs that depend upon a particular degree of resiliency foreffective usage thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION l have now provided, in the unique collapsibleshelter of this invention, a lightweight, relatively inexpensive,

tubular tent which has many of the advantages of the Clark tent but noneof the above-noted disadvantages of the latter. Thus, my novel shelteris, like the Clark tent, of generally tubular form when pitched for use,but, unlike the Clark tent, is readily collapsible lengthwise byvirtually anyone even a fairly young child, into a relatively flat,lightweight, compact bundle, which can be easily carried on the back ofa hiker, or transported in a vehicle with minimal space demands. Theshelter, in its preferred form, comprises a lightweight fabric coverwhich stretches into tubular shape, and a plurality of hoop-shaped ribsor stays which are fastened in position around the inside of the coverto serve as frame means for the shelter when it is extended to its fulllength, the ribs being positioned in spaced apart, generally parallelrelationship, and disposed in planes generally perpendicular to the axisof the cover, when the shelter is so extended. Since the ribs areseparate hoops, and not coils of a spring, it is a relatively simplematter to compress the tent into a flattened, compact bundle, with thecover folded in accordion-like fashion between the ribs, for carrying orstorage purposes.

Since my novel shelter-has no spring frame, as does the Clark tent, itis not subject to spring fatigue, and resultant weakening or failure ofthe frame, hence is absent the inherent tendency of the latter towardaccelerated self-deterioration and consequent shortening of its usefullife span. Moreover, since my novel shelter has no spring undercompression in its packed form, it carries no risk of sudden, unexpectedspring expansion and the possible physical dangers, equipment loss and-/or clean up work which could result from such expansion. Obviously, theabsence of a spring frame contributes to the ease with which the sheltercan be set up for use, and, particularly, taken down and compacted forcarrying since there is no necessity to compress a spring by physicalforce during such compacting or to keep it under compression until thecompacted shelter is tied or strapped securely enough to retain thespring under compression until it is again time to set up, or pitch, theshelter for use.

To pitch my shelter at a suitable campsite, it is necessary only to pullits ribs apart until the cover is relatively taut and fasten each endrib in position by means of a tiedown rope, or other line, preferably byrunning the line from the top of that rib to a stake set in the groundfore or aft of the shelter, as the case might be. This simpleinstallation and tie down procedure can be performed easily and rapidly,and yields a shelter of sufficient size, in its preferred form, toaccommodate a single individual and one which is firmly anchored againstmovement by wind or heavy rain, yet which can be shifted to anotherlocation with minimal difficulty should this become necessary ordesirable. The hoopshaped ribs are formed from strip stock of anysuitable type (such as, for example, spring steel stock), and designedwith sufficient resiliency to deform easily into an oval shape whenstanding on edge in the installed shelter and subjected to forcesexerted by the abovementioned tie down lines, yet be of adequatestrength to serve as a frame adapted to hold the shelter in its propershape after it is pitched in the above-described manner. The deformationof the hoop-like ribs causes a widening of the shelter so that itprovides more room for the accommodation of a backpackers sleeping bag,or other bedding, than would be possible if the ribs retained theirnormal hoop, or circular, shapes. Moreover, the flattening of theshelter into an oval shape results in the provision of a generally flatsupport surface for the sleeping bag, or bedding, to the greater comfortof the sleeping hiker than perfectly round ribs would provide. Theresilency of the ribs also permits them to give to some extent under theshifting movements of a sleeping occupant of the shelter, to contributestill further to his or her sleeping comfort.

The shelter cover is preferably made from lightweight nylon tenting orother weather resistant plastic material, and provided at its foot endwith an enclosure and at its head end with flaps capable of being closedby zipper, or other, means for the protection of its occupant againstcold or inclement weather as the occasion demands.

It is thus a principal object of the present invention to provide alightweight, collapsible shelter particularly suitable for use by abackpacker or camper which can be quickly and easily pitched at acampsite or taken down and formed into a compact bundle for easytransportation on the back or storage in a limited space.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a shelter withframe means to hold it in a generally tubular form when it is pitchedfor use but which exerts no spring tension on the shelter cover to beovercome by compressive force during packing of the shelter for carryingor storage and to create a risk of accidental frame expansion duringtransportation of said shelter with possible injury to persons and/orscattering or damage of packed equipment.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a shelter havingcertain of the advantages of a tubular shelter with a compressiblespring frame yet absent the inherent tendency of the latter todeteriorate as a result of loss of spring resiliency through repeatedcompression and expansion of its frame in use or prolonged storage ofthe shelter in a compressed form.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a shelter whichis compressible into a compact form for carrying without the need ofphysical strength to overcome a resisting spring force (such as requiredin the case of shelters with spring frames) or to hold the compressedbundle against expansion until it is tied, or otherwise, fastenedagainst such expansion.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent in the light of the following disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of apreferred form of collapsible shelter in accordance with this inventionpitched for use on a level surface.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the pitched shelter, as seen from theline 22 of FIG. 1, with one of a pair of zippered flaps at the front ofthe shelter being shown in an unzippered position.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevation of the shelter, as seen from the line 3-3 ofFIG. 1, with a flap cover for an insect netting window in a rearenclosure of the shelter being shown in partially unopened position toreveal a portion of the window.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary view, mostly in section, of the topcenter of the front portion of the pitched shelter as seen from the line44 of FIG. 2, and showing the upper end of a front tie down line for theshelter.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but taken at the rear end of theshelter from the line 55 of FIG. 3 and 4 showing the upper end of a reartie down line for said shelter.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken from a verticalplane passing through the axis of the pitched shelter and showing, incross-section, one of a plurality of spaced apart ribs serving to hold alightweight fabric cover forming the main part of the shelter in tubularshape and showing, also in section, a fabric strip sewn to the covereither side of the rib to fasten the latter in a fixed position relativeto said cover.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but of an alternative form of theshelter in which the cover is formed from a sheet of lightweight plasticmaterial and a strip of similar plastic material is sealed to the cover,either side of the rib, to hold the latter in proper position relativeto said cover.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but of another alternative form ofthe shelter in which the rib is formed of a suitable plastic materialand is sealed directly to the cover rather than being held in positionby a strip of plastic such as shown in the latter figure.

FIG. 9 is a slightly enlarged view of the FIG. 1 shelter in a contractedform suitable for carrying, resting on a flat surface with its axisturned from the FIG. 1 axis position.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Considereing now the drawing ingreater detail, with emphasis first on FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, there is showngenerally at 10 a preferred embodiment of a collapsible shelter inaccordance with this invention pitched for use in a piece of levelground 11. Shelter 10 is composed of a lightweight cover 12 with a maintubular portion 16 and five ring-shaped supporting ribs or stays fixedlysecured in position around the inner wall of said tubular portion 16 tohold that portion in proper shape to serve its function in the pitchedshelter. The tubular portion 16 of the cover 12 is formed from alightweight weatherproof fabric material, preferably lightweight nylontenting material. The five ribs are of equal diameter in their normalcircular shapes, and are spaced equidistantly along the axis of thepitched shelter, with one at each end of the tubular portion of thecover 12, as seen in 14 in FIG. 1, and the other three positionedintermediate the two end ones, as seen at 15 in that figure.

Shelter 10 is preferably sized to comfortably accommodate a singleoccupant with his sleeping bag, satisfactory dimensions for this purposebeing, I have found, a tubular portion 16 length of about 8% feet and anormal rib diameter of about 32 inches. These dimensions can, of course,vary within the scope of my invention, so long as the variance is not sogreat as to mitigate against satisfactory employment of the pitchedshelter for its intended purpose. The ribs 14 and 15 are sufficientlyresilient to flatten somewhat and assume an oval configuration in thepitched shelter, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 showing the front andrear ends of the shelter, respectively. The main reason for thisresiliency is to insure a flatter floor or bottom for the support of ahikers sleeping bag, or other bedding, and thus provide greater comfortfor the shelters occupant than would be possible if the ribs were rigidenough to retain their normally circular shape in the pitched shelter.The ribs are formed from relatively flat strips of a suitable metalmaterial, such as, for example, spring steel of 18- to ZO-gaugethickness, and are about I% inches wide for a shelter havingsubstantially the dimensions given above. It will be appreciated, ofcourse, that the ribs can vary in width within the scope of myinvention. For example, as will be apparent, the larger the ribdiameter, the greater will be the rib width, at least in most cases. Theribs for smaller embodiments of the shelter might thus be of %-inch orlesser, width so long as they serve my purpose, as taught herein. Whilethe ribs can be relatively narrow, however, I believe they should be offlat cross-section, rather than of wire-like shape, since wire ofsufficient strength for the purpose, would, I feel, be too rigid toassume a properly flattened shape in the pitched shelter for theaccommodation of an occupants sleeping bag or bedding. As indicatedabove, the ribs for my novel shelter can be made of any suitablematerial, so long as they exhibit properties of resiliency consistentwith the teachings herein, plastic ribs which satisfy the necessaryresiliency requirements, being, for example, perfectly suitable for theuse in the shelter.

The ribs are fastened in position against the inner wall of the tubularportion 16 of cover 12 by means of strips of fabric wide enough to fitover the inner surfaces of the ribs and extend laterally beyond theedges of the latter, one such strip being shown in cross-section at 80in FIG. 6. The fabric strips are preferably, but not necessarily, madeof the same material from which the tubular portion 16 of the cover 12is formed, and are fastened in position to prevent axial movement of theribs to any significant extent by means of stitching either side of therib (see FIG. 6).

The rear end of the cover 12 is protected by a fabric enclosure 18formed for the most part from a lightweight weatherproof fabric which ispreferably, but again not necessarily, the same as the fabric from whichthe tubular portion 16 of cover 12 is formed. The enclosure 18 has awindow with an insect netting screen 20 and an attached flap 24 sizedand positioned to normally hang down over the window opening and serveas a cover therefor. The method of attachment of the flap is such as topermit it to be folded up and back against the outer surface ofenclosure 18 to expose the window opening when this is desirable. Flap24 is provided with a pair of ties 26 at its lower corners, andenclosure 18 has two pairs of similar ties 28 and 30, positioned topermit fastening of the flap so as to expose the window opening, orcover the window, respectively. FIG. 3 illustrates these features byshowing the flap 24 partially fastened in its window covering positionby a knot 29 between one of its ties 26 and one of the ties 30, andpartially pulled up to expose a portion of the insect netting windowscreen 20.

The front end of the shelter cover 12 has a pair of inner flaps, formedfrom insect netting, and a pair of overlying flaps formed preferably,but once again not necessarily, from the same lightweight fabricmaterial as that from which the tubular portion 16 of cover 12 isformed. FIG. 2, showing the front end of the pitched shelter, revealsone of the inner insect netting flaps at 42 and the two outer flaps at32 and 34, respectively, flap 32 being shown in a closed, and flap 34 inan open, position (see below). Both the inner and outer flaps areprovided with zipper fasteners as illustrated in FIG. 2, so arranged asto permit closure of the front of the shelter completely or closure ofonly the insect netting flaps from the inside of the shelter.

Each set of overlapping inner and outer flaps encloses half of the frontopening of the shelter as FIG. 2

6 makers clear, and where these flaps are fastened to the tubularportion of cover 12, they have inturned edges which fit around theinside of an inturned fold 46 of said tubular portion so that the inturned edge of the inner flap sandwiches that of the outer flap betweenit and the inturned fold 46 of said tubular portion, all as illustratedin FIG. 4 where the inturned edges of one of the sets of inner and outerflaps are shown at 50 and 56, respectively. The inner and outer flaps,so positioned, are sewn in place to the folded front end of the tubularportion 16 of cover 12 by stitching means as illustrated at in FIG. 4.

The inturned fold 46 of the tubular portion cover 12 extends inwardlyfar enough to cover the rib 14 at the front end of shelter 10, and issewn to the wall of said tubular portion, as shown at 48 in FIG. 4, toprovide snug encasement of that rib between stitches 60 and 48 all asillustrated in FIG. 4. At its rear, tubular portion 16 of cover 12 isturned inwardly, similarly to the way it is at its front end, and sewnaround the rib 14 at the rest of the shelter by means of stitches 74, infront of the rib, and stitches 78, in back of the rib, to provideencasement of that rib for holding it in position similarly to the wayfront rib 14 is held in position by the inturned front end of saidtubular portion. The enclosure 18 at the rear of the shelter has itsedge folded toward the front of the shelter far enough to permit it tobe sewn to the tubular portion 16 of cover 12 by the stitches 78 passingthrough the folded end of said tubular portion, in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 5. It will thus be seen that all of the ribs 14 and15 are encased in snug fitting tunnels to keep them properly positionedto provide adequate support for cover 12 when shelter 10 is pitched foruse.

Passing through aligned openings in the inturned fold 46 of the tubularcover, the front rib l4 and the outer wall of the cover is a firstgrommet 64 adapted to receive a front tie-down line 66, knotted at itsinner end as shown at 67 in FIG. 4, which serves to anchor the front endof the pitched shelter in position. Passing similarly through alignedopenings in the inturned fold at the rear of the tubular portion ofcover 12, the rear rib l4 and the outer wall of said tubular portion, isa second grommet 64, adapted to receive a rear tie-down line 71, knottedat its inner end as shown at 73 to prevent the passage of that endthrough the grommet opening, all as illustrated in FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 shows the shelter in collapsed condition for carrying, with theribs 14 and 15 pushed together and the tubular portion 16 of the cover12 compressed in accordion-like fashion between the ribs. Because of thelightweight character of the fabric from which the tubular portion 16 ismade, the shelter folds into a relatively flat and compact bundle whichcan be tied securely for carrying on the back, or in a vehicle, by meansof the tie-down lines 66 and 71. When it is time to pitch the packedshelter for use, it is a simple matter to simply loosen the tie-downlines 66 and 71, stretch the shelter to substantially its full lengthalong the ground with the ribs standing upright, and fasten the tie-downlines 66 and 71 to approriately positioned pegs 79 and 81 driven intothe ground generally in line with the center of the shelter and spacedoutwardly from the front and rear ends of the latter in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 1. The tie-down lines are pulled taut enough toexert outward and downward pressure on the two end ribs 14 and causeslight flattening of the shelter to make it more readily receptive of asleeping body and help hold it formly against the ground so that it willremain in position without danger of movement as a result of inclementweather conditions. When the shelter is occupied, it is, of course, evenmore firmly anchored in position by the weight of the occupant. Theforces exerted by the tie-down lines act on the ribs between the ribs 14through cover 12, to a certain extent, and, additionally, those ribs, aswell as ribs 14, tend to flatten to a certain degree under the force ofgravity as a result of their resiliency. These flattening forces combineto compress the shelter into the oval shape shown in FIGS. 2 and 3which, as previously indicated, is advantageous in providing a roomy andcomfortable interior for a sleeping occupant.

When it is time to prepare the pitched shelter for movement, it is onlynecessary to unfasten the tie-down lines from pegs 79 and 81, compressthe shelter to a form similar to that shown in FIG. 9 and fasten it intoa compact bundle with the tie-down lines in any suitable fashion. Theresulting bundle, because of its compactness and lightness of weight,can be carried without difficulty, even by a child, or easily stowed ina limited space in a vehicle or on a pack animal.

As previously indicated, the cover for the novel shelter of thisinvention can be made from a lightweight plastic sheet material, insteadof a weatherproof fabric such as nylon tenting, and the ribs can beformed from suitably resilient plastic rather than metal strip stock, ifdesired. Where both the cover and ribs are made of plastic, the ribs canbe welded or glued to the cover in the manner illustrated in FIG. 8which shows such a construction in which a plastic rib 17 is fastened toa plastic cover 19 at 21 by welding means. Where a combination of metalribs and sheet plastic cover is employed, the middle ribs can be held inposition by means of strips of the sheet plastic similar to the way therib 15 is held by the nylon strip 80 in FIG. 6. The sheet plastic stripswill preferably, however, be welded or glued to the cover, rather thanbeing sewn thereto. This arrangement is illustrated in FIG. 7, whichshows a metal rib 85 fastened in position between a sheet plastic cover86 and a strip of the plastic material 88, the strip being fastened tothe cover at 31 and 33 by welding means.

While my novel lightweight shelter has been herein described andillustrated in what I consider to be its preferred embodiments, it willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art that my invention is notlimited to those embodiments but is broad enough in concept to encompassall modifications thereof incorporative of the structural and functionalessence of the invention as taught herein. Certain of thesemodifications have already been mentioned, and other will occur to thoseskilled in the art in the light of present teachings. An example of onesuch modification would be the combined use of plastic ribs, a sheetplastic cover and sheet plastic holding strips in the shelterconstruction, rather than just the plastic rib and sheet plastic coverconstruction of FIG. 8. In summary, it is emphasized that the scope ofthe present invention includes all variant forms thereof encompassed bythe language of the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. Collapsible shelter means comprising:

a flexible cover of relatively thin, weatherproof, lightweight sheetmaterial adapted to assume a tubular shape when suitably stretched;

a plurality of normally hoop-shaped ribs formed from flat strip materialin general conformity with the cross-sectional size and shape of saidcover in its stretched, tubular form, said ribs being resilientlydeformable under downwardly directed force when standing on edge;

fastening means for securing said ribs in positions adjacent said coverin generally coaxial relationship with, and in spaced apart relationshipalong the axis of, the cover in its stretched, tubular form, the spacingof the secured ribs being such as to permit them to serve as frame meansfor the stretched cover; and

removably installable anchoring means for exerting oppositely anddownwardly directed pulling force on the upper center portions of thetwo end ones of said ribs to stretch the rib-reinforced cover into theform of a tubular shelter, and help cause flattening distortion of saidshelter to increase its width, on a substantially horizontal supportsurface;

said shelter means being axially contractable, when free of the pullinginfluence of the anchoring means, into a compact, lightweight bundle,for easy portability.

2. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim 1 adaptedprimarily for use as a sleeping shelter for a single person and in whichthe tubular shape of said flexible cover is of normally roundcross-section and said ribs are hoops fabricated from spring steel stripstock.

3. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim 2, in which saidflexible cover has ends disposed in substantially parallel planesgenerally perpendicular to the axis of the cover in its tubular shape, aseparate one of said ribs is secured in position at approximately eachend of said tubular shape and said anchoring means comprises a pair oftie-down lines fastenable at their outer ends to pegs anchored in theground under sufficient tension to exert said pulling force on saidupper center portions of said two end ones of said ribs.

4. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim 3, in which saidsheet material is lightweight nylon tenting material.

5. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claims 3, in which saidtubular shelter has a permanent enclosure of flexible sheet material atone end and an opening adapted to permit an occupant to enter or leavethe shelter at the other end.

6. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim 5, in which saidopening at said other end is fitted with flexible closure means whichcan be opened or closed by said occupant from inside said shelter topermit movement through said opening or provide protection from outsideinfluences to one occupying the shelter, respectively.

7. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim 6, in which saidclosure means comprises flexible flaps fitted with zipper fasteningmeans.

8. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim 7, in which saidpermanent enclosure includes a window opening screened by insectnetting.

9. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim 7, in which theflexible flaps include an inner pair of insect netting flaps and anouter pair of flaps formed from a relatively thin, weatherproof,lightweight sheet material.

10. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim 8, in which saidpermanent enclosure has a flexi- 3 ,929 l 45 9 10 ble flap attached toproper position to cover said winopening to expose the latter forshelter ventilation purdow opening, the means of attachment being suchas to poses. permit temporary folding of the flap away from the

1. Collapsible shelter means comprising: a flexible cover of relativelythin, weatherproof, lightweight sheet material adapted to assume atubular shape when suitably stretched; a plurality of normallyhoop-shaped ribs formed from flat strip material in general conformitywith the cross-sectional size and shape of said cover in its stretched,tubular form, said ribs being resiliently deformable under downwardlydirected force when standing on edge; fastening means for securing saidribs in positions adjacent said cover in generally coaxial relationshipwith, and in spaced apart relationship along the axis of, the cover inits stretched, tubular form, the spacing of the secured ribs being suchas to permit them to serve as frame means for the stretched cover; andremovably installable anchoring means for exerting oppositely anddownwardly directed pulling force on the upper center portions of thetwo end ones of said ribs to stretch the ribreinforced cover into theform of a tubular shelter, and help cause flattening distortion of saidshelter to increase its width, on a substantially horizontal supportsurface; said shelter means being axially contractable, when free of thepulling influence of the anchoring means, into a compact, lightweightbundle, for easy portability.
 2. Collapsible shelter means in accordancewith claim 1 adapted primarily for use as a sleeping shelter for asingle person and in which the tubular shape of said flexible cover isof normally round cross-section and said ribs are hoops fabricated fromspring steel strip stock.
 3. Collapsible shelter means in accordancewith claim 2, in which said flexible cover has ends disposed insubstantially parallel planes generally perpendicular to the axis of thecover in its tubular shape, a separate one of said ribs is secured inposition at approximately each end of said tubular shape and saidanchoring means comprises a pair of tie-down lines fastenable at theirouter ends to pegs anchored in the ground under sufficient tension toexert said pulling force on said upper center portions of said two endones of said ribs.
 4. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim3, in which said sheet material is lightweight nylon tenting material.5. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claims 3, in which saidtubular shelter has a permanent enclosure of flexible sheet material atone end and an opening adapted to permit an occupant to enter or leavethe shelter at the other end.
 6. Collapsible shelter means in accordancewith claim 5, in which said opening at said other end is fitted withflexible closure means which can be opened or closed by said occupantfrom inside said shelter to permit movement through said opening orprovide protection from outside influences to one occupying the shelter,respectively.
 7. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim 6,in which said closure means comprises flexible flaps fitted with zipperfastening means.
 8. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim7, in which said permanent enclosure includes a window opening screenedby insect netting.
 9. Collapsible shelter means in accordance with claim7, in which the flexible flaps include an inner pair of insect nettingflaps and an outer pair of flaps formed from a relatively thin,weatherproof, lightweight sheet material.
 10. Collapsible shelter meansin accordance with claim 8, in which said permanent enclosure has aflexible flap attached to proper position to cover said window opening,the means of attachment being such as to permit temporary folding of theflap away from the opening to expose the latter for shelter ventilationpurposes.